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Hoopty chassis

PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:04 pm
by madprinter
Many years back I had a 1972 Mercury Capri ( wish I still had it). Anyway I had a junked parts car for it. When I had removed anything useable from the car, I cut the body off the floorpan and bolted an extra thick pipe under the car pan and put a hitch on it. It made a pretty good trailer for hualing limbs and junk to the dump. Later I gave it to a freind that hauled firewood on it. Has anyone ever built on anything like this? It would be a relativly free trailer if you could find a free junk car. Guess the Rednecks coming out in me :D

PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 5:48 pm
by Nitetimes
I had one of those little $hitboxes too. Fun little car, you could make it do things the average car wouldn't do.
I got mine for about 50 bucks if I remember right, had a bent front strut and fender, $25 for a strut from a boneyard and a hammer for the fender and it was on the road! No real power in it but you could make it scoot with a little practice. It would do an excellent power slide using the floor mounted E-brake. First car I ever had with the high beams on the turn signal, now that took some getting used to. Never did get any heat in that car, had to carry an ice scraper for the inside of the windshield and a blanket for the girlfriend.
When I got done with it there wasn't much left of it to do anything with but junk it!! 8) :lol:

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:34 am
by Sonetpro
I think it would be too heavy. I built mine on a boat trailer. I heard they are a dime a dozen in the N.O area since Katrina washed all the boats away.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:06 pm
by james tillitt
Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD! You COULD build a trailer like that but why? I got a 4 x 8 trailer off Craigslist for $25, it had an axle built for a trailer, lights for a trailer, a tongue and safety chains made for a trailer, it had a flat deck for hauling stuff without bending it up. and best of all I didn't have to do anything to it to make it usable as a trailer, you have to account for your time being worth something.

The only way I could see doing something like that would be to match your tow vehicle, like leave the body on and converting it in to a camper.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:29 pm
by madprinter
I'm not too sure of the weight, but it was'nt a heavy trailer.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:37 pm
by madprinter
Yea, That was a fun car Rich. I actually sold mine twice with a blown engine. Sold it to a guy and he would'nt come and get it. Finally told him it had to go after a year, he still would'nt come and get it. Sold it to anoughter guy. I must have broken 4 shifters in that car. When the transmission came apart I put a modified pinto transmisson in it. It's bad when your upgrade comes from a pinto :D It was easy to work on tho.